So What Happens Next?
by gwendolyn2010
Summary: What happens when two enemies becomes friends? Slightly AU, After war, but epilogue is ignored. WARNING HP/DM SLASH
1. Letter of Acceptance

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. That would be J.K. Rowling.**

**A/N: This is a slash. You have been warned. Please no flames, but I would love reviews :-) Takes place after the War, but it ignores the epilogue. Slightly AU. Also, this is the first fanfic I've written for several years—so reviews would be lovely! :-)**

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ (LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE)

HARRY'S POV

Harry was laying in bed, trying to fall asleep but was wide awake. Since the War had ended, he had become the Savior of the Wizarding World and had almost no time for himself or his friends and family. He had so many appointments, interviews, court dates and the like to keep him busy for a lifetime, but everyone wanted to push it into a three month period. This would be one of the only times that he would have for a full night's rest in the next coming months.

And on top of that, he had enrolled into the school that was opened up specifically to those who's seventh year at Hogwarts was severely lacking in proper education because of the war. The next several years behind Harry would also go to the school to help make up for the lost year of education.

However, none of this was what was causing Harry to lie awake in his new apartment that he was currently renting with Ron and Hermione. A certain blond, gray-eyed wizard was once again taking over Harry's mind.

Harry had started to develop feelings for Draco Malfoy in his fourth year at Hogwarts. Harry had become protective from a distance and hated every time that he had fought with his Draco, but Harry had known that Draco would, and will, never except him in that way. Draco was with that Pansy Parkinson, the ungrateful bitch. She constantly whined and complained and Harry knew for a fact that there was at least three separate occasions where Pansy had cheated on Draco and she had hurt him very much. Didn't she realize who she was with? How could she not be the happiest girl in the world? How could she just cheat on him?

Harry wished there was some way for him to switch places with her, having Draco as his own, making him happy in every way possible. And definitely, never ever _ever_ hurt him. He could never do what Pansy did. He wished that the two of them could be lovers, but if not, than just friends was better to what they had now.

They weren't enemies anymore. They never really were. Harry hadn't known what he was doing when he denied Draco's offer of friendship. He didn't know anything about the magical world at that point and was just overwhelmed. But the damage was done. He had said no to a Malfoy and there was no turning back. So Harry just watched him from a distance, knowing how hurt Draco was and how he dealt with it (the name calling and fighting), and eventually it just became a habit. And Harry could even understand the situation that Draco was in with Voldemort. He couldn't have blamed Draco for that. Draco was just trying to protect his family and Harry was sure that if he had to make the choice, he would've made the exact same one. And since the War, Harry and Draco had never fought but they hadn't had the chance to talk much either. If only they could start over and come to an understanding and maybe even become friends... Harry smiled sadly, but suddenly sat up. _"That's it. I'll owl Draco and see if he is willing to overcome our past and put it truly behind us. If he doesn't respond, than I've __done my part. And while it will hurt, I'll know where I stand to him and I won't be left wondering later in life, regretting that I didn't ask him."_

Harry got out of bed, and sat down at his desk. He picked up his quill and got out a clean sheet of parchment. He started writing, every so often crossing something out or quickly grabbing his wand and erasing what he had written. Eventually, he had a letter:

_Dear Malfoy,_

_ I know that I am the last person in the world you expected an owl from but I have some things that I would like to say. Since the War is over, I would like to just forget the past and I would like it if we could meet up somewhere and just talk. How about we meet at the Leaky Caldron at 7pm next Tuesday?_

_Hope to see you there,_

_Harry Potter_

Harry thought that the letter sounded like a 5 year old wrote it but it was the best he could come up with. _"I'll send it in the morning after I get up. Maybe I can finally get some sleep. I really need it as I have a big day tomorrow. Three interviews and my night classes start tomorrow. Maybe I'll see Draco there."_ And with that, Harry laid on his bed and fell straight to sleep.

DRACO'S POV

Draco squinted at the sunlight pouring into him room. He must have forgotten to close the blinds last night. And why was that owl hooting...wait, why was there a owl in his room anyway? He opened his eyes fully and he noticed that his window was open and a snowy white owl that looked vaguely familiar was flying around his room, hooting softly, trying to wake him as gently as possible.

Draco got out of bed and the owl settled on his desk, holding it's leg out so that Draco could untie the letter bound there. The owl hooted gratefully. Draco sat down at his desk and read the letter.

"_Well Harry was right. He was the last person I expected to hear from, but I hoped that I would. I've wanted to get to know him since 1st year, just I had to act like a _Malfoy_ and never tried to befriend him again. How I longed to be his friend though. I knew he wasn't the attention seeker that I have always accused him of being. This is the perfect way to start over, and maybe something more than friendship will come out of it, but I mustn't hold my breath."_

Draco sent a quick letter of confirmation to Harry to meet him at the pub that was also the entrance to Diagon Alley. Draco smiled as the much more familiar snowy owl soared out the window, and Draco started to get ready for the day.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ (END OF CH. 1)


	2. First Eye Contact

**Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. Considering I live in the US, that would not be me.**

**A/N: This is a slash. You have been warned. Please no flames, but I would love reviews :-) Takes place after the War, but it ignores the epilogue. Slightly AU . Also, this is the first fanfic I've written for several years (and my first slash)—so reviews would be lovely! :-) **

**Also, there's a couple things I forgot to mention. First, that this story is rated M for later chapters. And secondly (and more importantly in my opinion) my friend, Mia Aulair, is editing this. I wanted to thank her in the last chapter as well but it slipped my mind while I was writing the a/n...so this chapter is dedicated to her. :) I also want to thank everyone for the faves and story alerts and a special thanks to LIGHTINSHADOWS for reviewing. :)**

CH. 2~ THE FIRST EYE CONTACT

HARRY'S POV

Harry had just gotten out of the shower when he noticed Hedwig was back, hooting happily. He gulped audibly when he noticed there was a letter bound to her leg. With shaky hands, he grabbed the letter and opened it slowly.

_Dear Potter, _

_You're right, you are the last person that I expected an owl from. I will be there. Just don't be late, because I won't wait around for you._

_See you then,_

_Draconis Malfoy_

_Heir to the Honorable and Noble House of Malfoy_

Harry smiled. This was typical Malfoy behavior. Harry was the heir to the Honorable and Noble House of Black but he didn't feel the need to end his letters with it. Nonetheless, Harry couldn't help but to feel a sudden warmth in his stomach. Draco had said yes to his proposition. He wanted to make amends and Harry just couldn't believe it. Harry hurried and got dressed in a dark pair of jeans and a green button down shirt that brought out his eyes. It was some of his nicer clothes that weren't actual dress clothes which he told himself he was wearing for the interviews, but deep down he knew better. He didn't know if Draco would be at the night classes that night but he wanted to look nice just in case he _happened_ to be there.

Harry sat down at the kitchen table where Ron was currently trying not to fall asleep and Hermione was cooking breakfast for the three of them. Since they had moved in together this had been the morning ritual, as neither Ron or Harry could cook and Hermione always got up before the two boys anyway.

"Good morning, Harry!" Hermione said brightly.

"Morning, 'Mione. How'd you sleep?" Harry replied.

"Oh, not too bad. Ronald woke me up with his snoring a couple times, but what's new?" she laughed. "How about you?"

"At first I couldn't sleep but then I wrote a letter to _him_, and I was able to fall asleep just fine and I feel fantastic this morning."

Hermione had known about his affections towards the blond since fourth year. Harry knew how Ron would react if he knew, so unless anything happened between the two boys, there was no reason for Ron to know. At the moment, Ron was snoring slightly at the table, his head slowing falling to the oak wood table.

"Oh? What did you say? Did you confess your undying love to him?" Hermione asked, teasingly.

Harry stuck out his tongue at her. "Of course not. I asked him to meet me at the Leaky Caldron next Tuesday, just to talk."

"So you'll confess to him there then." she said, ducking as Harry reached for his wand.

Each interview consisted of the same questions that he had already answered countless times before but of course, each interviewer claimed they had an exclusive so that people would rush to the stands to pick up their version of the exact same questions. How was his life since the War ended? What does he think his parents would say if they were still around? And of course, So who is the lucky girl whose captured the Saviors heart?

Of course, Harry would always give ambiguous answers to _that_ question. He didn't need all the press that he would get if he told any of the interviewers that he was gay. Oh he could just imagine what his life would be like then. Harry shook his head to get that awful situation out of his head. "_They must never find out." _he thought fervently.

Clearing his head, Harry had reached his destination, the school for the so called "eighth years". The building itself was in downtown London and was made to look like a Muggle clothing store that was going under refurbishing, a very similar Muggle repellent to the one that St. Mungo's used.

Harry went through the front window as unobtrusively as possible as to not attract the attention of any Muggles walking down the mostly abandoned street. Harry reached the classroom where he noticed that the eighth year Gryffindors and Slytherins would be sharing for the term. Smiling, he entered the room.

The classroom was fairly large with a set of desks in the front and back of the room and there was a magical field separating the two. Harry couldn't see it but he could feel it. _Is this to make sure the students don't fight each other or something, _Harry thought to himself. The walls were a plain white and there was a large blackboard across the front wall with a large work desk and podium in front of it facing the desks. Several students were already there, including Hermione and Ron who were waving at him. He walked over to them and sat down in the desk they had saved for him.

"Hey, you two. Do you know what that field is separating the desks are?" Harry asked.

"You can feel them too? Ronald just looked at me like I was crazy when I mentioned them." Hermione said.

"How come you two can feel them and I can't then?" Ron asked, looking at one and then the other.

"I don't know..." the gears in Hermione's mind started churning, and Hermione started staring off into space.

Harry waved a hand in front of her face, startling her slightly. "Hey, before you start trying to figure out why your _fiance_ can't feel the field, mind telling me your theories on why it's there."

Hermione perked up when she heard the word fiance, but Ron remained oblivious as he had stopped listening to his best friends once he figured out that he wouldn't really understand what they were talking about at the time. He would either ask them at home, or just not worry about it. "Well the only idea that I have so far is probably the same one you have. The field is there to keep the Slytherins and Gryffindors from killing each other. But that doesn't make much sense as there are enough desks in both areas to seat all of the students from each house from our year."

Harry looked around at the desks and noticed that Hermione was right. There were double the amount of desks that there needed to be in the room. He sat in silence, musing about why this might be (without much success) when he noticed a gorgeous blond entering the room.

Draco Malfoy walked in, wearing a silk, icy blue button down shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His shirt was tucked into a pair of dark charcoal gray slacks that were held up with a simple, dragon leather belt. Harry thought he noticed a glimmer of magic over Draco's left forearm, but he couldn't be sure. However, he was sure about the fact that Draco looked absolutely beautiful. The colors perfectly complimented his pale skin and fair hair, not to mention his blue-gray eyes. Other than Draco's good looks, Harry noticed one other thing about him. Draco had seemed rather hesitant when he walked in the room and found a seat near the front on the left side of the room, away from everyone else. He looked around the room, and happened to catch Harry's eye and nodded hello, then looked towards the front again.

DRACO'S POV

Draco wandered the halls of the building where his night classes would be. He was really early because he had nothing better to do at the time. Draco spent all his time at the Manor anymore. He never really went anywhere because, as much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, he was scared of the reaction he would get. The letter he received from Harry that morning gave him some courage, and perhaps that is why he Apparated so early.

Draco checked his watch and started walking towards where his classroom was. He had walked the halls so much that he could guide himself around quite easily. He had even found a couple hidden rooms and passageways and some of them, he had gained entrance to. Draco had reached to door to his classroom and opened it kind of hesitantly. Where was he going to sit? Most of the Slytherins hated him anymore. Draco had never really been a Death Eater. Oh, he got the Mark, which he had discovered he could glamour with magic, but he never had the mentality that came along with that title. His family pushed the Dark Lord and his goals unto him and both of his parents had been sentenced to Azkaban after the War. He had managed to escape it, but he had found out that someone on the Light side had vouched for his innocence and so Draco didn't even have a trial. Because of all of this, most of his former friends and acquaintances from his house despised him. They had sent him Howlers on a pretty regular basis in the beginning, especially when a parent or very close friend had been sent to Azkaban. Because apparently that was his fault. But he couldn't just get all cozy with the Gryffindors either. Most of them hated him too—except for Harry.

He looked around the room. The first thing he noticed was that he was only Slytherin there yet. _"Oh yes. I'm guessing they are either going to be right on time, or fashionable late. I mean, they _are_ Slytherins."_ The second thing that he noticed was there was a magical field in the middle of the room, probably to separate the two houses. Then he also saw that there were enough desks for his year to fit both in front and behind the field. So he sat in a desk near the front of the classroom and looked around again to take a better look on who was specifically here. All he noticed before was that he was the first from his house to show up. He noticed there was about 6 or 7 Gryffindors sitting on the right side of the classroom: including the Parvarti Patil, Lavender Brown, Dean Thomas, Longbottom, Granger, Weasley, and... Draco's heart stopped. Harry looked perfect. His eyes were a bright, piercing, emerald green brought out by his green button down shirt. Draco noticed that Harry wasn't wearing his glasses. _He must of gotten his vision fixed magically. And it's about time too. His glasses always did hide his beautiful eyes. _Draco had to get a hold of himself otherwise he was going to have to explain why he was sitting and staring at the Savior of the Wizarding World like no doubt countless people do every day. And Harry wouldn't want that- especially from Draco. Harry caught his eye and Draco nodded very curtly and turned to face the front again, feeling his face turn a slight pink color.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ (END OF CH. 2)

**Please review and let me know how I'm doing :)**


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